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Charley Walters: Francisco Liriano's gem makes Dean Chance proud

Pioneer Press

Posted:
05/07/2011 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
05/07/2011 10:30:23 PM CDT

Dean Chance threw two no-hitters for the Twins, if you count a five-inning 2-0 victory over Boston at Metropolitan Stadium on Aug. 6, 1967. Chance's nine-inning no-hitter was a 2-1 victory at Cleveland on Aug. 25, 1967.

"It's a shame that kid hurt his arm (five years) ago," Chance said of Liriano's left elbow injury that resulted in ligament-replacement surgery. "He was as good as (Johan) Santana then."

That was in 2006, a rookie season that was halted after Liriano compiled a 12-3 record, 2.16 earned-run average and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings. That was the same season that Santana, pitching for the Twins, won the American League's Cy Young Award.

Chance watches the Twins regularly and roots for them.

"I'm proud of the way Liriano's come back," he said.

Chance recalled his five-inning no-hitter against the Red Sox at the Met.

"Ed Runge, who had the biggest strike zone of any umpire who ever, ever lived, was the home plate umpire, the game went five full innings, the rain's coming down and Runge called the game immediately," he said.

Chance laughed.

"Usually it's the twilight game when guys get no-hitters like (Catfish) Hunter did against us out in Oakland (4-0 exactly 43 years ago today in 1968) against poor old Bozzy (Twins starter Dave Boswell)," Chance said.

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"Anyway, I pitched the second game of a twi-night doubleheader against Cleveland. I walked a couple guys, there was a passed ball and they got a run in the first inning. We won 2-1. I remember that last inning — I threw all hard sliders. The third out was TonyHorton, and he hit a high bouncer to third base, and Pepe (Cesar Tovar) fired it to first."

Chance paused.

"You know, I cannot think of a better team than we had in '67," he said. "Mudcat Grant won 21 games one year (1965). Jim Perry twice won 20 (20 in 1969, 24 in 1970) and won the Cy Young Award (1970). Jim Kaat won 25 games the year before. Jim Merritt won 20 games later on (1970) with the Cincinnati Reds. Bozzy (Boswell) won 20 games (1969). And I won 20 games twice (1964, 1967).

"I mean, the pitching staff that we had! I shut Boston out twice that year. I beat 'em four times; they beat me once. And the last game of the damn season, they beat me — they hit one ball out of the infield and got five runs in the sixth inning. We had a great ballclub."

Liriano won't get a bonus from the Twins for his no-hitter. Neither did Chance for his no-hitters.

"Listen, there was only one Calvin Griffith," Chance said, referring to the team's former owner. "That was against club policy. Against club policy! Did you ever hear of such a thing?

"You know, it's funny. The other day I talked to (hall of fame former New York Yankees pitcher) Whitey Ford. So I said, 'Whitey, I don't want to be nosey, but what's the most (salary) you ever made?' He said, 'Dean, let me tell you this: In 1961 I was 25-4.'

"They (Yankees) beat the Reds in the World Series. What do you think the Yankees gave Whitey for 1962? Sixty-thousand dollars! That's what I got after the '67 season, $60,000, most I ever made."

In 1967 for the Twins, Chance finished 20-14 with a 2.73 earned-run average and struck out 220 in a league-leading 283 2/3 innings.

In 1968 for the Twins, Chance finished 16-16 with six shutouts while pitching 292 innings.

"And (Griffith) cuts me $5,000," he said. "My ERA was terrible — 2.53. He tried to cut me $9,000. I held out, and because of that, in 1969 I was hurt. I was never the same.

"And Whitey, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, the most he ever made was $65,000. The most he ever made! He said, hell, he never made any money until he got out of baseball."

Pitcher Bob Turley was a teammate of Chance's with the Angels in 1963 and is a close friend.

"In 1958 for the New York Yankees, Bullet Bob Turley won the Cy Young Award; he was 21-7 and was MVP in the World Series," Chance said. "The most he ever made in baseball in his life was $35,000.

"We had a lot of memories, but we sure never made any money."

Chance was elated over former teammate Bert Blyleven's election to baseball's Hall of Fame.

"That was a cardinal sin that he wasn't in the Hall of Fame years and years ago," Chance said. "Sixty shutouts, and all those 1-0 wins, 242 complete games, I mean, what the hell do they want you to do?"

Chance has an appreciation for complete games. He led the American League in that category in 1964 (15) and 1967 (18) and was second in 1968 (15).

Chance is president of the International Boxing Association. Vikings 6-foot-5 defensive end Ray Edwards, who has trained for a heavyweight boxing career since last year, makes his professional debut as a fighter on May 20 at Grand Casino Hinckley against diminutive P.J. Gibson, a kick boxer making his pure boxing debut.

"I hope his manager knows what he's doing," Chance said of Jeff Warner, who manages Edwards. "They better be careful. There was a guy named Ed 'Too Tall' Jones who used to play defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys. He wanted to box. They put (the 6-9 Jones) in with some little fat guy, and Jones couldn't hit him. Jones ran out of gas, and it was absolutely embarrassing. It just ruined him."

Chance turns 70 on June 1. On June 4, as part of the Angels' 50th anniversary as a franchise, Chance will throw out the first pitch against the Yankees in Anaheim.

How dominating was Chance in 1964? Not only did he finish 20-9 with a league-leading 1.65 ERA, but 50 of his 278 1/3 innings pitched were against the AL champion Yankees. During those 50 innings, the Yankees managed just one run and 14 hits — 13 singles and a home run by hall of famer Mickey Mantle.

Mantle's homer came with Chance and the Angels leading 2-0 in the eighth inning.

"The count was 3-1 on him and he hit a ball that, even with backspin, still went over the fence in right field in L.A.," Chance said.

"I heard the Twins put a statue of Tony Oliva (outside Target Field) this year," he said. "Put Tony in the Hall of Fame while he's still alive and can enjoy it. Oliva and Jim Kaat should both be in. I mean, what the hell can you do?

"Every pitcher who ever pitched against Oliva, call and ask them and let them decide."

There is no mysterious reason for Joe Mauer's delay in getting back into the Twins' lineup, people close to him say.

The offseason plan for the Twins catcher was to see if a strained left knee would recover with rest. When it didn't, arthroscopic surgery was done in December. Rehabilitation was interrupted and prolonged because of a viral infection this spring. Mauer continues to rehab the knee daily at Target Field and is expected back in the lineup in about two weeks.

Toughest Twins Target Field tickets the rest of the season are for the July 1-3 series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Baseball hall of famer Paul Molitor hit in 39 straight games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987.

"Just 24 years ago," Molitor said.

Entering Saturday night's game against the Mets in New York, Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers had hit in 30 straight games.

Molitor, the Cretin High School grad who is a special assignment scout for the Twins, has casually followed Ethier's streak.

His advice for the outfielder? Enjoy it.

"You might not have one that comes close to it again," Molitor said. "Just ride it out as long as you're able. There's some pressure there. I think experience helps you to take pleasure in that pressure rather than succumb to it.

"Keep that focus pitch to pitch and the other responsibilities in trying to win games, and at the same time try to have some fun and do something that few people get an opportunity to do."

Ethier's streak has received national attention, just as Molitor's did.

"It's just one of those things that the longer it goes, and he's getting to a point certainly where it's gathering a lot of attention — fan awareness, media awareness — makes it challenging to go about your business normally and keep your focus on winning and not get consumed by the streak," Molitor said.

"Even unselfish players, because of the attention these kinds of things get, you get into a game and you're 0 for 2 and you're trying to think about making a defensive play. But the reality is 'what am I going to do at my next at-bat?' "

Molitor ended up hitting a career high .353 in 1987. Ethier is hitting .379.

"There are a lot of ways streaks can end," Molitor said. "You can have a bad night, a pitcher can dominate, you can line out a few times, get walked. There are a lot of things that can happen, so you might as well just ride it out, enjoy it and realize that not too many guys get a chance to hit for a month straight in the big leagues."

Molitor's streak — the seventh longest in major league history — ended when he went 0 for 4 on Aug. 26 against Cleveland pitcher John Farrell, who now is manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

"I think it was his first or second start in the big leagues," Molitor said. "I ended up in the on-deck circle in a 0-0 game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Rick Manning got a base hit to win 1-0.

"Kind of a strange ending. But hey, 39 was where it was supposed to be."

A 40-game hitting streak would have tied Molitor with fellow hall of famer Ty Cobb, who achieved the feat with the Detroit Tigers in 1911. Joe DiMaggio's 56 games in 1941 with the Yankees is the record.

Among numerous Division I basketball prospects at the 10-state Howard Pulley Invitational this weekend at the High Performance Academy in Eagan is 7-foot-1 Isaiah Austin of the Texas Pro team. Austin, whose father is former professional player Alex Austin and who has committed to Baylor, is a Kevin Garnett-style player who can dribble, shoot and rebound and has been regarded as the No. 2 prep player in the country for the 2012 class.

The Gophers are interested in Wisconsin prep guards Matt Thomas and Duane Wilson, both sophomores playing in the Howard Pulley tournament.

Ex-Twin Brad Radke has sold his 6,440-square-foot, eight-bath Greenwood home in suburban Minneapolis, originally on the market for $2.75 million with property taxes of $49,128, for $2.4 million, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports.

Billy McKee has left Mounds View as girls basketball coach and will be named women's basketball coach at Augsburg College.

DON'T PRINT THAT

A little birdie says Flip Saunders would have to give up $8.6 million — the final two years of his four-year contract — to leave the Washington Wizards for the Gophers men's basketball coaching job if Tubby Smith were recruited away for the University of Maryland coaching job.

Meanwhile, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Saunders, who resides in Medina, have remained friends despite Saunders' firing by then-vice president Kevin McHale six years ago. If a buyout could be arranged with Washington, it wouldn't be surprising if Saunders were considered for the Wolves coaching job once a buyout of Kurt Rambis' contract is completed.

Besides Smith, Maryland is expected to consider Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, Arizona's Sean Miller and Notre Dame's Mike Brey. Look for Miller to end up with the job.

Dave Tippett continues to get mentioned as a consideration for the Wild coaching job if he were able to escape the Phoenix Coyotes' ownership-relocation mess.

The Gophers men's basketball team is preparing to move ahead without junior center Ralph Sampson III, who has declared for June's NBA draft and has until today to withdraw and return to school but is expected to leave. Meanwhile, the Gophers are recruiting North Carolina 6-8 senior prep Jared Guest, who will visit soon.

Those were fired football coaches Tim Brewster by the Gophers and Brad Childress by the Vikings spotted dining together at the Dock restaurant in Naples Bay, Fla.

The University of Minnesota continues to work on a contract extension for men's hockey coach Don Lucia, who is signed through next season but needs an extension for recruiting purposes.

Ex-Wild coach Todd Richards finally got to relax with a round of golf at Troy Burne the other day.

The Atlanta Braves' John Smoltz, who lost to the Twins' Jack Morris 1-0 in 10 innings in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series at the Metrodome, on the MLB Network's replay and analysis of the game that will be shown this evening: "I can remember everyone going, 'Atlanta-Minnesota in the World Series, who is going to watch this?' Well, whoever missed it missed the greatest World Series ever."